Hi! I’m Cassandre, and today on Caramel Loafing, I’m excited to share a beloved classic that’s wildly popular in Long Island, New York, and New Jersey: the Philly Fluff Cake.
The Philly Fluff Cake originated at a bakery in Long Island, New York, and has since become an iconic treat across New Jersey too. It’s so well-loved that people from other states often drive in just to buy one or ask friends to pick it up for them. Its charm lies in its texture — somewhere between a pound cake and an angel food cake — rich with buttery flavor yet soft and tender. After trying it ourselves, we can confirm: it’s absolutely delicious.
Even though the Philly Fluff Cake looks like a simple cake, what I really want to share is its unique method.
Traditionally, cakes start by creaming butter and sugar until fluffy, then adding eggs to emulsify. But the Philly Fluff Cake does the opposite: you mix the fats with the flour first, then add the eggs at the end. This technique is known as the reverse creaming method, and it helps prevent gluten development, so you don’t have to worry about overmixing or under-emulsifying. It’s a simple yet impressive homemade cake.
Another special point: the batter uses three types of fats — cream cheese, butter, and shortening. The cream cheese gives it a distinctive dairy richness, the butter adds deep flavor, and the shortening makes the cake soft and springy. The perfect blend of these fats gives the cake its signature moist, tender crumb. Don’t miss out on this one!
By the way — it actually has nothing to do with Philadelphia! ^^
If you love American-style desserts, here are some more recipes to try:
A Boston legend: Blueberry Muffins
A light, spring-colored cake with no added fat: Daffodil Cake
A fresh and easy American twist on a French classic: American Lemon Pie
A nostalgic bite of Southern goodness: Biscuits
An all-time American favorite: Brownies
Philly Fluff Cake Recipe and Method
Ingredients
Pan size: 6.3 inches top diameter, 5.5 inches bottom diameter, 3.3 inches tall chiffon tube pan (16 cm top diameter, 14 cm bottom diameter, 8.5 cm height)
Yield: Makes about 6–8 servings
If you’d like to adjust for a different pan size, feel free to use our pan size calculator.
- 38g vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 90g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 46g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100g cake flour
- 165g granulated sugar
- 2g baking powder
- 1g salt
- 138g whole egg, lightly beaten
- 4g rum
- *10g powdered sugar, for dusting
Check the nutritional info for this dessert with our Dessert Nutrition Calculator.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Grease the inside of your pan with a tablespoon of softened butter (or shortening), dust with flour, and tap out any excess.
- Sift the sugar, flour, and baking powder together into a bowl; add salt and stir well.
- Beat the softened cream cheese, shortening, and butter at medium speed for about 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients; mix on low until the dry ingredients are coated with the fats (about 1 minute), then switch to medium speed and beat for about 2 more minutes.
- Add the rum, then add the beaten eggs in three parts, mixing at medium speed after each addition until fully incorporated, about 1.5 minutes total.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and gently level it with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 50–55 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove and invert onto a rack to cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate for about five days. You can enjoy it cold or warm it up at 160°C (320°F) for 5–8 minutes.
Watch the full tutorial video here: Philly Fluff Cake
Philly Fluff Cake FAQs & Tips
The Philly Fluff Cake is an American classic from Long Island, known for its texture that sits between a pound cake and an angel food cake — moist, fine-crumbed, yet incredibly soft. Though it seems simple, there are a few key details worth knowing. Here are answers to the most common questions to help you bake this cake with confidence.
Why is it called Philly Fluff Cake? Is it really from Philadelphia?
It actually has nothing to do with Philadelphia! :D
Although the name includes “Philly,” the cake was created in a Long Island bakery. The name comes from its use of Philadelphia-brand cream cheese — so “Philly” refers to the cream cheese, not the city itself.
As for “Fluff,” it hints at the cake’s soft, moist texture — but ironically, it’s not fluffy like cotton candy. Instead, it’s quite dense and fine-crumbed, yet surprisingly soft, giving it a unique character somewhere between a pound cake and an angel food cake.
What’s the reverse creaming method? Why is it used?
Most cakes use the “regular creaming method”: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually add eggs to emulsify, and finally fold in the dry ingredients. The Philly Fluff Cake flips this method on its head: you mix the fats with the dry ingredients first, then add the eggs at the end. This is called the reverse creaming method or reverse emulsification method.
The advantage is that when fats coat the flour, they inhibit gluten formation, which means the cake stays tender and doesn’t get tough or dense. It also helps prevent the common pitfalls of overmixing or separation, so even beginners can get a beautifully soft, moist result. This technique is key to the cake’s special texture.
The only downside is that the batter can feel stiff to mix by hand — using a stand mixer really helps!
Why does it include shortening? Isn’t that unhealthy?
One special thing about the Philly Fluff Cake is its use of three different fats: cream cheese, unsalted butter, and shortening. While cream cheese and butter are common in home baking, shortening is more often used in professional bakeries.
Shortening boosts tenderness and keeps the cake from being too dense. In the past, some shortening contained trans fats, which gave it a bad reputation. But in recent years, the U.S. and Japan have regulated shortening to be trans-fat free, so it’s much safer now. If you can’t find trans-fat-free shortening, you can substitute with vegetable oil or more butter — just know the texture might be slightly less light and tender.
Any tips for handling three types of fats?
Since each fat softens at a different rate, it’s best to soften them separately — don’t combine them straight from the fridge. Wait until each one is soft enough to mash together with a spatula. Be careful not to let them melt into a liquid, or you’ll lose the texture you want.
What if I don’t have a chiffon tube pan?
If you don’t have a chiffon tube pan, a loaf pan works too — just be sure to grease and flour every side well. If you use a different shape or size of pan, check out our Cake Pan Size Calculator to adjust the recipe amounts proportionally.